1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with the conditioning of hay immediately after its harvesting and just before it is deposited in a windrow for drying and curing. The environment of the hay conditioner in the present instance is with a drum type mower such as shown in my own prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,160,356, 4,292,789, and 4,292,790. This conditioning constitutes a crimping of the hay stalks at spaced apart positions along its length. Such crimping of the stalks enhances the retention of nutrients in the hay when it dries. Usually the conditioners of the past have comprised a pair of cooperative rolls through which the harvested hay is passed. The surface conformations of these rolls are used to effect the crimping of the hay stalks. The present invention employs cooperative pneumatic tired wheels as the hay conditioner rolls. One of these pneumatic tired wheels is provided with a steel cage positioned over its tread so that the rods of the cage engage the tread of the cooperative tire to cause a crimping of hay as it passes through the engaging surfaces of the tires.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A search discloses that there are numerous prior patents which employ cooperative rollers to effect hay conditioning. Two of those prior patents of which we are aware embody the hay conditioner on drum type mowers. These are the U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,625 to Knight et al and the West German Pat. No. DT 2816-144. The Knight et al patent best shows the cooperative hay conditioning rolls 120 and 121 in FIGS. 1 and 4. The rolls 120 and 121 are equipped with intermeshing spiral grooves to effect the desired crimping of the hay.
The West German patent employs a pair of cooperative hay conditioning rolls 76 and 77 supported behind a drum type mowing unit as best shown in FIG. 3.
We are not aware of any prior hay conditioners which employ pneumatic tired wheels as hay conditioning rollers We did, however, find that cooperative pneumatic tired wheels have been used for other purposes. For example, the U.S. Pat. No. 3,769,782 to Cler employs a pair of cleated pneumatic tires as a corn detasseler. The engaging tires are used to nip and remove corn tassels.
The U.S. Pat. No. 2,924,283 to Macphee employs a pair of pneumatic tired wheels to pull cotton plants out of the ground.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,437,152 to Barrentine employs a pair of pneumatic tired wheels having their peripheries in pressure contact with each other to form a nip to pull stalks.
However, no one to our knowledge has previously enclosed one of a cooperative pair of pneumatic tired wheels with a steel cage for any purpose.